Humans breathe 14kg of air into their lungs each day. Although some of the pollution symptoms people suffer involve the moist surfaces of the eyes, nose, and throat, the major site of air pollutant impact is the lungs. Three categories of impact can be distinguished: (1) chronic: pollutants cause gradual deterioration of a variety of physiological function functions over a period of years; (2) acute: pollutants bring on life-threatening reactions within a period of hours or days; (3) carcinogenic: pollutants initiate changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled growth and division—cancer.
Pollution has some harmful effects on humans and methane gas facilities contribute to pollution, therefore the implementation of a methane gas facility will have effects to our health. Although methane gas itself does not harm human health, it still contributes to air pollution.
Spellman, F.R (2015). , Handbook of Environmental Engineering. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.
The book discusses landfill as one of the causes of environmental problems, which are the fires, explosions, production of toxic fumes, and storage problems. According to the book, Landfills also has a history of contaminating surface and groundwater due to its adverse effects. It also presents two different types of landfills, the sanitary landfills, and the secure landfills. The sanitary landfills are constructed for solid waste only while the secure landfills were established to receive hazardous wastes legally.
Over the past decades, Landfilling has improved its operation and its process. It became much more advanced and modernized that can minimize the adverse effects of landfilling. Even then, landfilling can generate carbon dioxide and methane gas, which contributes to global warming. By that, it pollutes our environment, including soil and water. Methane can be dangerous to the community and environment due to its flammability that can trigger an explosion.
The ill effects of air pollution are not limited to people living in cities. In recent years, many species of trees and other vegetation in cities have begun to die back, and farmers near cities have suffered damage or even total destruction of their crops because of air pollution.
The pollution that the methane gas facility produces not only affects nearby establishments, but also affects farther areas and this could cause harm to agriculture.
Mihelric, J., Zimmerman, J.B. (2010). Environmental Engineering Fundamentals, Sustainability. Wiley; 2 edition
Zimmerman(2010), landfills are engineered facilities designed and operated for the long term containment of solid waste. This landfill produces landfill gases which can be considered as a problem but at the same time an opportunity. The main reason why it can be regarded as an opportunity is that it has the potential to create an economical and non-fossil -fuel-derived form of electricity. But on the other hand, this can be considered as a problem because first of all, it can be explosive when exposed to oxygen. Second, it can be a human health concern for site workers. Third, it can create odors. Fourth, it can displace oxygen in the soil, which may suffocate nearby plants. And lastly, it can emit methane in the atmosphere which contributes to greenhouse emissions.
Timp,T.(2008). "Foundations of General, Organic, and Biochemistry": An Environmental perspective. 122 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon, but it has some unclathrate, which is a usual type of matter in which molecules of one substance form a cage around particles of another material. The nonpolar methane molecule is trapped inside one space within the lattice. Vast regions of the ocean floor are covered by such as ice fields of frozen methane. The United States Geological Survey estimates that the amount of methane hydrate in the U.N. is worth over two hundred times the conventional natural gas resources in this country. Methane is flammable, and as carbon dioxide, it is a greenhouse gas. The methane raised the temperature of the earth by warmed the ground enough to melt the ice in the oceans and at polar caps and completely change the global climate.
Methane gas can be frozen that can be formed by water molecules interact with one another by strong hydrogen bonding. This frozen methane is responsible for the massive effect of global warming when it released into the atmosphere. This frozen methane needs proper care for the ethical uses of it. It helps the readers to formulate some ideas about how methane contributes to global warming, and it also gives information on how to take care and how to efficiently use the methane gas
Nebel, B.J. (1993). Environmental science: the way the world works. fourth edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
Walls, windows, and all other surfaces turn gray and dingy as particulates settle on them. Paint and fabrics deteriorate more rapidly, and the sidewalls of tires and other rubber products become hard and checkered with cracks because of oxidation by ozone. Corrosion of metals is dramatically increased by sulfur dioxide and acids derived from su7lfur and nitrogen oxides, as are weathering and deterioration of stone work. These and other effects of pollutants on materials increase the cost of cleaning and replacement by hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Many of the materials damaged are irreplaceable. Besides being a matter of health, a clear good visibility—in contrast to the haze of smoke has significant aesthetic value and psychological health effects.
Air pollution that methane gas facility contributes on not only affects human health and agriculture it also affects the aesthetic value of materials. It also has negative effects on a person's psychological health.
Bobick,J.(1994). "The Handy Science Answer Book": Biomass Energy. A division of Gale Research 835 Penobscot Building Detroit, Ml 48226-4094: Visible Ink Press.
The catch-all term biomass includes all the living organisms in the area. Wood, crops and crop waste, and wastes of plant, mineral, and animal matter are part of the biomass. Much of it is in the garbage, which can be burned for heat energy or allowed to decay and produce methane gas. Rubbish buried in the ground can provide methane gas through anaerobic decomposition. Biomass can be converted into biofuels such as biogas or methane, methanol, ethanol, etc. However, the process has been more costly than conventional fossil fuel processes. It is an organic matter used as a fuel, especially in a power station for the generation of electricity. Biomass contains stored energy from the sun. When biomass is burned, the chemical energy in biomass released as heat.
Biomass is a source of methane gas. Decaying and burning some wastes can produce methane gas. Biomass is a renewable energy source because its supplies are not limited. We can always grow trees and crops, and waste will still exist. We have four types of biomass wood and agricultural, solid wastes, Biogas, and alcoholic fuels. It shows how the methane produced by some wastes, and it tells that the methane gas can be renewed and used again not just twice. It helps the readers to fully understand what is happening due to forming methane gas coming from different kinds of biomass.
Corbitt, R. (1999). "Standard Handbook of Environmental Engineering, Second Edition": Annaerobic Treatment. 122 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Anaerobic treatment is another method of a biological process in which microorganism converts organic compound to methane, carbon dioxide, cellular materials, and other organic compounds. The anaerobic treatment has recently been used for high-strength organic waste because of its potential for producing energy and lower sludge growth rate. It can be used in combination with combined heat and power plant to generate both electricity and heat. The importance of anaerobic and biogas is that the anaerobic, biogas is released during the fermentation process, on the other hand, Biogas is suitable for use in some gas engines and is often used in combined heat and power units to generate electricity and heat.
Anaerobic treatment is also an alternative way to recover a methane gas using of conversion of a compound to methane, carbon dioxide, cellular materials, and other organic compounds. The Biogas also can be used to generate some renewable fuel and electricity. Biogas contains 60% of methane with carbon dioxide. Biogas has a big part of completing recovering methane gas through the use of anaerobic treatment.
Heilig, G. K. (1994). The greenhouse gas methane (CH 4): Sources and sinks, the impact of population growth, possible interventions. Population and environment, 16(2), 109-137.
